1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a volatile material dispensing system having a fan adapted to facilitate the emission of a volatile material from a wicking surface, and in particular, to a volatile material dispensing system having a mixed flow fan that pulls ambient air into the system and expels the air therefrom at angles selected to increase the energy efficiency of the fan while maintaining an appropriate level of volatile material disposed in the air.
2. Description of the Background of the Disclosure
Various volatile material dispensing devices are known in the prior art that generally comprise a reservoir that holds the volatile material and optionally include a housing to retain the reservoir. The prior art volatile material dispensing devices either
allow passive diffusion of the volatile material to occur without the aid of a dispensing mechanism or enhance and/or facilitate the release of the volatile material using a dispensing mechanism. Typical dispensing mechanisms used in volatile material dispensing devices include a heating apparatus and/or a fan that either heats and/or supplies air, respectively, to the volatile material to facilitate the diffusion thereof.
Both passive dispensing devices and heat-based diffusion systems suffer from numerous drawbacks. In particular, supplying a heating mechanism, such as a heater, in a volatile material dispensing system elevates the temperature of the volatile material, which in turn, increases the diffusion intensity and oxidation of the volatile material. Oxidation may not be desired because it may cause the volatile material to smell and/or the color to be altered in an unpleasant way. Another drawback in heat-based diffusion systems is the occurrence of condensation that may occur inside of the system during use.
With respect to passive diffusion devices, emission of the volatile material may be affected by environmental factors, such as temperature, drafts in the environment surrounding the device, the type of volatile material and the like. Passive diffusion devices suffer from further drawbacks because such devices typically require a larger diffusion surface area of the reservoir to permit a sufficient amount of volatile material to be emitted into the surrounding atmosphere such that a consumer is able to detect the presence of the volatile material. Similarly, a larger device housing may be necessary to enclose and/or support the larger reservoir.
Both passive and heat-based diffusion systems suffer from limited diffusion capabilities. In particular, diffusion of the volatile material is typically restricted to the atmosphere immediately adjacent and surrounding the systems unless an outside force, such as a fan, acts to circulate the volatile material in the surrounding atmosphere. As such, fan-based systems have been utilized to facilitate diffusion of the volatile material. However, fan-based systems typically suffer from numerous drawbacks as well. For example, fan-based systems tend to have larger, unwieldy housings to enclose the fans. The use of fans also typically increases the power consumption of the diffusion device.
One type of fan-based system incorporates a centrifugal fan to assist in circulating the volatile-material laden air. Centrifugal fans typically change the direction of airflow after the air enters into the system and expel the air in a radial direction. However, such fan-based systems suffer from various obstacles because of the unique airflow pattern created. In particular, air is drawn into the housing and expelled through outlets or vents that are disposed at a 90 degree angle from the entry point. The vent location may be inconvenient, unsightly, and inefficient in terms of airflow through the system. Further, the vents may be disposed in an area of the housing such that the volatile material is dispersed in a substantially vertical manner or substantially horizontal manner with respect to the housing. Dispersion in both strictly horizontal and vertical manners limits the radius of detection of volatile material laden air. The radius of detection is defined as the radius around the volatile material dispenser by which a typical consumer can detect the volatile material laden air through the sense of smell. For example, volatile material laden air dispensed through a vent in a vertical direction typically includes a small radius of detection because the volatile material laden air dissipates in the area directly adjacent the housing. Similarly, volatile material laden air dispensed through a vent in a horizontal direction also typically includes a small radius of detection because the volatile material laden air contacts the ground or a support surface prior to widespread dispersion.
In contrast, the volatile material dispensing systems of the present invention leverage an efficient airflow pattern in conjunction with a mixed flow fan and vent placement, which expels volatile material laden air at specifically selected angles to maximize the radius of detection of the volatile material. The system further includes a refill unit having a wicking surface that allows volatile material to be mixed with ambient air without substantially impeding the air flow. The present disclosure provides new and non-obvious volatile material dispensing systems, which address one or more of the above issues.